Friday, September 7, 2007The day started with a short run up to the Evergreen Aviation Museum. While there are many nice planes on display there, the star is the Spruce Goose. John and I paid a couple of extra bucks to get a private tour of the flight deck. There we got to sit in the very seat where Howard Hughes piloted this giant aircraft on its one and only one mile flight.
Then we headed for the Oregon coast. Shortly before lunch, we saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time. After working our way through the coastal villages with all their shops and touristy places, we hit what we had been anticipating: long stretches of road with the Pacific on our right side and the evergreen mountains of Oregon on our left. It was spectacular. The pictures above tell part of the story.
Our stop point tonight was Coos Bay, Oregon, for no other reason than when I was on summer duty while in Navy ROTC in 1972, our ship pulled in here on a good-will stop. I don't remember much about it except a mental picture of the harbor with the paper mill at the north end, and the Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers piers across the river. Freighters tied up at the paper mill to take pulp and other products to the Far East.
Well, the paper mill is gone, and a casino is in its place. The Coast Guard pier seems to be in the right place, but that would put the pier we tied up to on the wrong side of the river from downtown. There were no ships at all in the port any more apparently.
Tomorrow we cross into California. We need to push a little to get everything in we want to do and have Diane to the San Diego airport in time for her 6am Thursday flight.
DAY 13
3 comments:
Thanks for bringin' us along for the ride. Bro
Dad, are you growing a beard??
Looks like you guys are having a blast! Miss you and love you!
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